07 Mar Building Better Opportunities – an outline

Hope is part of the Building Better Opportunities partnership programme in Herefordshire funded by the Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund. Started in January 2018 for 2 years, it is a project that aims to provide pre-employment support to people over the age of 19 – helping these people to engage in activity that will help them move towards employment.

The people who are eligible to join the programme are:

Legally resident in the UK and able to work in the EU

Unemployed – i.e. seeking work OR

Economically inactive – i.e. not in work and are not available or seeking work. These could be: a full time student, retired, disabled, a full time career, on full time parental leave.

Hope will be offering:

Structured activities and projects to build employability skills and confidence and practical skills such as money management

Accredited qualifications such as first aid and food hygiene

Intensive one-to-one support to bring participants further towards work or back into training or employment

Advocacy role with other agencies, employers etc.

Supported volunteering opportunities

Supported work placement opportunities

Peer mentoring

Online support including sessions via skype, e-mail, instant messaging with a Hope professional and also moderated peer-to-peer groups